


Belle of the Ball

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-11-19
Updated: 2002-11-19
Packaged: 2019-05-30 23:29:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15107024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Josh. Donna. The Inaugural Ball.





	Belle of the Ball

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Belle of the Ball**

**by:** spitzthecat  


**Category/Pairing:** Josh/Donna  
**Written:** August 31, 2002  
**Rating:** ADULT for language  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine, never gonna be mine. Anything you recognize from pop culture isn't mine either. If it was, would I still be this deep in debt? Really, if you want my crappy ass job, truck payment and two emotionally disturbed cats you're welcome to them.  
**Summary:** 23rd in the Joshua Monologues Series. Josh. Donna. The Inaugural Ball. 

* * *

"I look fat."

Donna has been standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom for almost an hour getting ready. She has declared herself fat twelve times.

She's gained like five pounds.

Maybe.

"You do not look fat," I call from the closet where I'm searching for my suspenders.

"I swear, Joshua, if you tell me I glow, I will kick your ass."

There goes that line.

"No, absolutely not. You do not glow, Donnatella. There is no glow anywhere in your vicinity."

***

"Jackass!" I'm pregnant; I can be as unreasonable as I want to be. I'll admit it. I'm milking this. I consider it a combination of training for later and payback for all the whining he's done over the years.

I do look fat. My hips have done some sort of weird spreading and rounding thing in the week since I bought this dress. I don't find it very flattering.

"I look fat!"

"You do not." Josh replies again, appearing in the mirror.

Placing his hands on my hips, he stands behind me and squares me to the mirror.

"You look like a goddess."

He is getting very good at attempting to placate me.

"I do not. I look like I've spent a month on the couch with bottomless pint of Ben & Jerry's."

"Donna, please stop this. You are beautiful. You are not fat."

"I'm not leaving the apartment."

***

I have no idea how I finally coaxed her out of the bathroom, but it took all my powers of persuasion. We'd have an easier time legalizing marijuana than I did getting Donna to this final Inaugural Ball. 

This is the fourth one of these damn things we've been to this weekend. First was the staff one on Friday, followed by some sort of New Hampshire syrup thing and the DNC fundraiser appreciation party, both on Saturday. We spent all day Sunday at work because we knew nothing would get done today.

The government doesn't completely stop for an Inauguration. We're prepping for the G8 summit in London that starts on Wednesday. It's over three weeks of preliminary meetings before the big weekend sessions begin on February 14th. 

Leo stuck my office with most of the legwork. Which means I spent Sunday sequestered in a meeting room with Jack Norris from the State Department and his advance team.

Now I'm stuck talking to Rachelle, watching Sam dance with Donna. 

We've been here fifteen minutes and I'm not having a good time.

Leo finally comes to my rescue. "Josh, I need to talk to you."

"You saved my life." I tell him as we walk towards a corner.

"You have to go to London on Wednesday."

"What about Jack?"

"Jack had a heart attack an hour ago, he's not going anywhere for a while. Nobody else is up on this." Leo sounds apologetic. It doesn't make me feel any better. A billion things I have to do in the next month run through my brain.

"Shit." Donna's going to have a fit. Unless Donna decides running away to London is a good thing. I could make London a good deal for her.

"And Donna is going to have to stay here and run your office. You can't both be gone."

The sound I just heard was the other shoe dropping.

"Leo." I plead. Whining might work. "This isn't fair. I'm getting married in six weeks and you want me to go to London for almost a month? Can't anybody else go?"

"This isn't a negotiation, Josh. It's your job. The President is sending you to London on Wednesday to run the advance team. That's the end of it." His conciliatory tone has vanished.

Or not.

"Yes, sir. Anything else?" I ask, my own tone hardening.

"No."

"I'm going to tell my assistant she'll have to run my office for the next month. Then I'll be leaving to go pack and get my personal affairs in order."

I stalk back towards the bar. Everyone is on the dance floor: Sam and the dingbat; CJ and Toby; Donna and the President. 

I doubt he's telling her I'm going to London until the 17th of February.

***

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Josh turn his back on Leo and walk back towards the bar. Even from the dance floor I can tell he's upset. What could Leo possible have said to him?

"We need to leave." His voice is a monotone when I approach him after my dance with the President.

"Josh, we just got here. Let's find a place to talk."

He starts to object, but just nods and leads me out of the ballroom. We find a quiet corner of the hotel away from the assembled mass.

"Jack Norris had a heart attack." Josh states without preamble. "Leo and the President are sending me to London to run the advance team."

"There's nobody else who can go?" I ask in disbelief. We've got so much to do in the next six weeks it isn't even funny.

"It is not open for negotiation." The harsh tone of his voice surprises me.

"We'll just have to make the best of our time in London then." I'm trying to put a positive spin on it for him.

"You have to stay here and run the office."

There's the other shoe.

Silence fills the room for a few moments.

"I leave on Wednesday morning. I'm going to my office to get all my notes in order, then I'm going home to pack. I understand if you want to stay."

Josh wants to be alone for a while. I can read it in his eyes.

I undo his bow tie and give him a soft kiss, telling him without words that I understand it isn't his fault. 

"Okay. I'll see you at home. Don't spend too much time in the office."

"I won't," he smiles sadly. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I tell him as we part ways. 

Josh goes to get a cab and I head back to the party.

***

I spot Donna on her way back into the ballroom. 

"Where did Josh go?" I ask, coming up behind her.

"Hey, Sam. He went to the White House. He has some work to get done."

"Is everything okay? You two didn't have a fight did you?"

Her smile doesn't reach her eyes and she looks like she's about to cry. "Everything is fine."

"What's going on, Donna?" I walk us over to an unoccupied table.

"Leo is sending Josh to London on Wednesday for the summit preps."

"And?" I must be missing something. They've dealt with Josh travelling before; he was on the road almost the entire campaign.

"Sam, the wedding?"

I'm still missing something. The wedding is March 1st. The summit is over February 17th. 

"He'll be back in time, Donna. They wouldn't send him if he wouldn't be."

"What's going on?" Bonnie appears out of nowhere. 

"Avoiding the ding-bat?" Donna asks, changing the subject.

"That woman has to go." She looks straight at me. I don't get this either. I mean, Rachelle isn't the brightest woman I've ever dated, but I like her.

"I've got to go pee." Donna announces suddenly, taking off for the ladies' room.

The rest of the Senior Assistants Association makes its way over after her departure. How they know when one of them is upset is beyond me. 

I fear them, so I spill what Donna told me.

"You have got to be kidding!" It's been a while since I've seen Carol this pissed.

"What am I missing here?" I still don't get it.

"Let us count the things, shall we," Carol begins.

I get it from all angles

"The last minute details for the wedding."

"Of which there are about a thousand."

"She needs to get her dress altered again, because she's pregnant."

"The announcements have to be addressed."

"Josh put himself in charge of the honeymoon."

"Valentine's Day."

"The surprise party."

Oh shit. I forgot about that. Josh turned 40 last year and we all ignored it with the intention of getting him this year, when he wouldn't be expecting it.

His birthday is next Friday.

The party was supposed to be next Friday.

***

"What happened to Josh?" Toby asks, sitting down next to me at the table.

It's been a revolving chair for the last hour. The only people who haven't come to find out what's going on are Leo and the President. When Toby said I'd be the center of attention tonight, I doubt this is what he had in mind.

"He went home to pack," I reply.

"He can't pack tomorrow?"

"Toby, he's pissed, okay? He wanted to be alone for a while."

He wanted to brood, which is really all I've been doing as well. But somewhere between Bonnie and Zoey I think I finally figured out why this is bothering him so much.

"Do you have a ride home?"

"We came in a cab. I think I'm going to go." 

"I'll walk you out," Toby offers.

***

Josh is sitting on the sofa in the dark when I get home. He's still wearing his tux.

"Josh?" I close the door.

"Hey." 

"You okay?" I walk over and sit down next to him.

"Yeah... No... I don't know. I just... I don't want to leave you right now. There's too much stuff to finish before the wedding and I worry about you working too much while I'm gone and I worry about..." Josh trails off.

"You worry about the baby." I finish for him.

"Yeah," he admits quietly.

"Well, I'll send the wedding announcements and the list with you. Those will keep you busy and out of trouble. I promise to be out of the office by seven every night and as for the other, you're going to spend the rest of your life doing that. You might as well get used to it."

That earns me a small smile.

"I want to be here for you," he says softly. "I want to share this with you."

I take his hands in mine, running my thumbs over his. "You are."

He shakes his head. "I'm going to miss three weeks. What if something happens?"

"Like my breasts get sore or my back starts to hurt or I'm crabby?"

"Yeah. All of it. Who's going to give you back massages every night?" He leans closer to me, his mouth mere inches from mine. "And how are you going to be satisfied while I'm gone?"

Josh runs his hand up the slit of my dress to emphasis his point.

"Cyber sex?" I offer, hoping to tempt him out of this mood.

"On our White House email accounts?"

"Probably not a good idea." I agree, meeting his gaze, letting him make the next move.

He leans in just a bit more, pressing his lips to mine, slipping his tongue into my mouth. I wrap my arms around him, sliding them under his tuxedo jacket, running my hands all over his back.

***

I'm not sure how we ended up naked or on the floor. We haven't had this kind of raucous, piss-off-the-neighbors sex in months.

Donna is sprawled face down on top of me. She has Gary and Patrick in one hand and Spongebob in her mouth. The fingers of her free hand are exploring my nether regions.

I'm flat on my back with my face buried between her legs, my hands massaging her butt.

***

The way we're laying on the floor, the coffee table is right at Josh's feet. When I feel Gary and Patrick begin to contract, I give them a final squeeze and crawl off of Josh.

***

What the...? I look up when Donna disappears and see her kneeling over the coffee table.

I scramble up and kneel behind her.

***

Stretching out over the wide surface, I grip the edge, crying out in pleasure when Josh enters me. Drawing my knees closer together, I tighten myself around him, forcing him to use more powerful strokes.

His fingers dig into my hips as he hangs on during his orgasm. When he's finished, he runs his sweaty hands up my body and arms, un-prying my hands from the edge.

"Roll over," he orders hoarsely.

***

After she does, I sit cross-legged at the altar of Squarepants, determined to provide Donna with the sort of mind-blowing orgasm I just had.

The first thing I taste is myself, then my taste mingles with hers. A little attention to her clit and all I taste is Donna. A little more attention and she twitches in anticipation. I lick her clit and slip a finger inside her, stroking her g-spot.

The only intelligible word coming from her mouth is "Joshua."

I quit what I'm doing when Donna's screams become sobs.

"Are you okay?" I ask worriedly, helping her off the coffee table and onto the sofa, cradling her in my arms.

"Cramps," she moans, clutching at her abdomen.

***

"Should I call the doctor?" Josh starts to panic.

"It's okay, it's sort of normal."

Dr. Williams warned me I might experience cramps right after orgasms. This is the first time it has happened. I didn't realize they'd hurt so badly.

That information doesn't placate Joshua, who insists upon carrying me to bed. He tucks me in and then brings me some Advil before going to clean up the mess in the living room.

***

This is exactly why I don't what to go to London for three goddamn weeks.

Donna molds herself to me when I climb into bed after picking up the living room.

"Things are going to change when we have this baby," Donna murmurs.

***

"I know. Diapers, feedings, crying, not sleeping." Josh ticks off all the stuff Dr. Williams told him to expect.

"No more sex on the coffee table," I point out.

***

"Oh, we're still having sex on the coffee table." I reply, finally letting go of my funk.

"What about the bear?" Donna giggles.

"We'll send her out to play in traffic."

***

Josh wants a girl; he's admitted that before. I'm glad, because having girls first runs in both our families.

"Have you thought up any names?" I ask.

"I always figured I'd name my daughter after Joanie, but I'm not so sure anymore." His voice sounds far away.

He's trailing his fingers up and down my back. I find myself drifting off to sleep, lulled by his touch and the steady beat of his heart under my ear.

***

I'm pretty sure Donna fell asleep before I admitted I think Katherine Eileen would be the perfect name for our little girl.

I lay awake for a while longer, making mental notes of the things I need to do tomorrow. Not the least of which is finding the time to call my attorney and my accountant.

Time is running out on me and I need to get the ball rolling on Donna's wedding gift.

Next: "Love Letters from London"

"I won't be able to call much. I doubt Congress will foot the bill for us to have Trans-Atlantic phone sex."


End file.
